Chapter 43: You want to catch the turtle in the jar? I will play the pig to eat the tiger!

Beneath Misty Peak.

Just as Li Wudao arrived at the foot of the mountain, he spotted Deng Lin pacing back and forth, looking rather anxious.

"Senior Brother Li, I've finally waited for you. Something big is wrong!"

Catching sight of him, Deng Lin hurried forward.

"What is it... Could it be that Ruan Fei has made a move?"

Li Wudao's heart stirred.

He had planted Tang Yi and Deng Lin near Ruan Fei precisely to learn of the latter's movements in advance so he could prepare a countermeasure.

"It's not him. Someone else."

Deng Lin shook his head, his expression heavy as he revealed a startling piece of news, "Senior Brother Li, someone wants to kill you!"

"Who?"

Li Wudao's eyes instantly turned cold.

Given his current status, someone actually wanted him dead?

"I'm not entirely sure of his name."

Deng Lin frowned in recollection, saying with some uncertainty, "But I heard someone address him as the Seventh Prince."

"Could it be him..."

Li Wudao's gaze narrowed, making it hard not to associate this with Qi Xingyu.

After all, the latter indeed held a grudge against him, and he also happened to be the Seventh Prince of Great Qi.

"What on earth is going on? Tell me the details."

Li Wudao asked in a deep voice.

"This morning, I was dining at the Drunken Jade Tower when I faintly heard Senior Brother Li's name mentioned in the adjacent private room, so I paid attention..."

Knowing this matter was no trivial affair, Deng Lin dared not conceal anything and spilled everything.

"Not listening was fine, but when I pressed my ear against the wall, I happened to hear them plotting to ambush and kill Senior Brother Li in some secret realm."

Having heard this, Li Wudao became even more certain that the person wanting him dead was none other than Qi Xingyu!

When this thought was cemented as fact, he remained silent for several breaths.

He had still underestimated Qi Xingyu's character.

He hadn't expected that a mere few frictions would prompt the other party to harbor murderous intent, completely disregarding sect rules and fraternal ties.

"You said 'they' just now. Do you know how many people there were? Are they all disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect?"

Li Wudao captured a crucial piece of information.

"At least five or six people. Judging by their tone, they seemed to come from the same place, though whether they are disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect is hard to say."

Deng Lin pondered aloud.

Li Wudao asked a few more questions, but failed to extract any more valuable information.

"Nothing else, I'll head back first. Senior Brother Li, you should be careful lately."

With that warning, Deng Lin prepared to leave.

Having been beaten into submission by Li Wudao, he now acknowledged the latter from the bottom of his heart and didn't want to see him plotted against in secret.

"Wait, take these for your cultivation."

Li Wudao called him back, casually producing a thousand low-grade spirit stones and handing them over.

"This... it's too much. I merely happened to overhear, Senior Brother Li doesn't need to do this."

Deng Lin was deeply tempted. He hesitated for a moment, ultimately feeling too ashamed to take them.

"You did well today, and this news is crucial. Since you're helping me, naturally I won't let you work in vain. Just take them."

Li Wudao had never been stingy toward those who helped him, especially when the information was of such great importance.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for a successful investment. Investment method: One thousand low-grade spirit stones.]

[Reward feedback in progress...]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Low-grade spirit stones X2000.]

Listening to the prompt echoing in his mind, Li Wudao remained speechless.

He couldn't lose. He simply couldn't lose.

Others might make a small profit, but he would never lose!

"Alright then, thank you, Senior Brother Li."

Bolstered by Li Wudao's words, Deng Lin carefully tucked them away, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

To him, these spirit stones constituted a veritable fortune, allowing him to live lavishly for quite some time.

If his previous attitude toward Li Wudao had been one of awe, it now quietly transformed into conviction and a desire to follow him.

Following such a peerless talent, even a pig would find it hard not to grow stronger.

After Deng Lin departed, Li Wudao walked back toward Misty Peak, deep in thought.

For now, he only knew that Qi Xingyu intended to unite with others inside a secret realm to do away with him.

Details beyond that remained entirely unknown.

"It seems he is certain my strength will land me in the top ten of the grand competition..."

Li Wudao's eyes flickered.

Qi Xingyu had observed him rather closely; he likely already possessed a preliminary grasp of his strength.

To ensure foolproof success, he had even gone to the extent of plotting an ambush within a secret realm.

One had to admit that this Seventh Prince was truly insidious.

According to information leaked by little Jiang, that secret realm permitted entry to three top-tier sects, including the Profound Heaven Sect.

If one were slain inside the secret realm, as long as there were no eyewitnesses, any excuse would suffice to gloss it over.

"Since you want me dead, don't blame me for casting aside fraternal ties!"

The corners of Li Wudao's mouth curled into a cheerful, chilling smile.

Those who kill others must be prepared to be killed themselves; he had no scruples whatsoever.

Armed with the information provided by Deng Lin, his confidence grew even more robust, and he had already formulated a counter-strategy.

"You want to lure the fish into the net and catch them in a jar, do you? Then I shall play along, feign compliance, and draw the snake out of its hole!"

Unrivaled confidence bloomed in the youth's pupils, his killing intent surging like the tide.

...

The sun rose and the moon set.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the newcomer grand competition arrived.

This grand competition was restricted exclusively to the three thousand five hundred disciples who had just entered the sect.

It served two purposes: first, to gauge the foundations of the disciples and observe their cultivation progress; second, through competition and a reward system, to inspire the newly entered disciples to cultivate diligently and avoid complacency.

The venue for the grand competition was chosen at the plaza where the entrance examinations had taken place.

Given the large number of examining disciples, the martial arts arena could not accommodate so many bouts simultaneously.

Around the Hour of Chen, under the gaze of numerous newcomer disciples, over half of the sect's high-ranking figures, including the sect master and the masters of the six peaks, arrived. One could easily see how much importance the sect attached to the newcomers.

As for Xia Gucheng, the peak master of Misty Peak, he had yet to return and naturally could not attend.

Having not seen the old man for nearly two months, Li Wudao felt a tinge of missing him, expressing his filial concern for a full two breaths' duration.

On the viewing platform, an elder was announcing the rules of the matches.

"To ensure fairness and efficiency, participants are grouped according to their status: outer sect disciples in one group, inner sect disciples in another, competing separately through randomized draws..."

"There are four rounds in total. Legacy disciples are exempt from participation and advance directly to the finals."

"First round: Two hundred advancement slots for outer sect disciples, three hundred for inner sect disciples."

"Second round: These five hundred disciples will be merged into a single group to compete, with one hundred advancement slots."

"Third round: A duel among one hundred disciples, leaving fifty advancement slots."

"Fourth round: Adopting a arena-defense format, the ten legacy disciples will each guard an arena and must accept any challenges from these fifty disciples without the right to refuse..."

Listening to this, Li Wudao's mind became active.

These rules were quite interesting. Legacy disciples entered the finals directly without wasting time on preliminary selections, which certainly saved trouble.

However, things were rather harsh for the outer sect disciples.

Out of three thousand outer sect disciples, two thousand eight hundred would be weeded out in the first round. It was no different from a carp leaping over the dragon gate; the elimination rate was simply too high.

Such rules gave Li Wudao a peculiar sense of familiarity.

Assigned to the outer sect: ordinary talent, minimal resources, slim prospects of future strength.

Assigned to the inner sect: decent talent, moderate resources, likely to surpass ordinary people in the future.

Assigned as a legacy disciple: supreme talent, massive resources, guaranteed to become at least a regional powerhouse in the future.

A strange look crossed his eyes. The statuses gained from the entrance examination resembled academic credentials—they were nothing short of stepping stones.

The initial tier of status obtained often translated directly to the tier of treatment one received for a long time to come.

Before long, guided by elders and stewards, the outer and inner sect disciples were divided into two distinct areas.

The matches officially commenced.

Since Li Wudao was a legacy disciple, he only needed to look on as a spectator for the first three rounds.

Fierce sounds of combat gradually drifted from the various arenas.

Gazing into the distance, Li Wudao watched those youthful figures sweating and fighting valiantly, his gaze slowly turning absent.

Those disciples would have to endure three rounds of brutal combat before they could barely stand before him and earn the qualification to issue a challenge.

Afterwards, they would streak past briefly like shooting stars, leaving not the slightest ripple behind.

Years later, this gap would only widen further; whether one could even encounter them again within the Profound Heaven Sect was questionable.

Therefore, between hard work, persistence, talent, and destiny—which one mattered most?

Looking at those vibrant youths, Li Wudao gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and stopped pondering further.

Just at that moment, Li Wudao caught a glimpse of Qi Xingyu in his peripheral vision.

At this moment, the latter was seated to his side, his gaze occasionally falling upon him with a playful smile.

Catching sight of this fellow instantly ruined Li Wudao's mood.

The feeling was akin to being targeted by creatures like spiders or centipedes—utterly repulsive.

"This punk is smiling so ghastly, he's definitely harboring bad intentions and already plotting how to kill me."

Li Wudao sneered inwardly.

Were it not for the occasion, he would have loved to step forward and deliver a few solid slaps to teach him a lesson.

Originally, he had intended to claim first place in this grand competition to put little Jiang in her place.

But now, because of this scumbag Qi Xingyu, he suddenly changed his mind. He simply had to play the pig to eat the tiger.

"Little trash only loves to scheme in the dark and launch sneak attacks. Once we enter the secret realm, who kills whom is yet to be determined. Just wait and see how I trap and finish you off, you foolish dog!"

Li Wudao cursed inwardly, having already placed Qi Xingyu on his must-kill list.